This invention relates to an apparatus and method of molding food in particulate or fluid form into edible coherent products. More particularly, the invention involves compressing and baking such food to yield shaped products such as pie shells.
Illustrative of an apparatus and method for molding pieces of food into a unified product is U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,705 to D'Alterio and Garbo. The patent discloses the formation of discrete pieces of cooked food with a binding composition into a desired shape, such as the base or shell of a pizza. Applicant's copending application Ser. No. 09/369,161, filed Aug. 5, 1999, also describes the conversion of food particles into a unified product in an aluminum foil mold.
The aforesaid patent discloses a three-part mold: a fixed ring, a bottom plate slidably fitted in the ring, and a top plate that can be alternately pressed against the ring and lifted therefrom. The copending application also shows a three-part back-up mold for holding a aluminum foil mold in which food particles are compressed and baked. In both cases, the slidable bottom plate fitted in the fixed ring is a thick, heavy metal body that is heated and is reciprocated within a heated fixed ring.
The design of such an apparatus requires careful dimensioning and selection of metals for the fixed ring and bottom plate to ensure proper reciprocation of the bottom plate when both plate and ring are hot, say at 450.degree.F. Moreover, some foods contain juices that during the compression and baking period ooze out and wet the sliding surfaces between the bottom plate and ring. In such cases, the juices become encrusted on the sliding surfaces, thus requiring frequent shut-down of production to permit clean-up of the encrusted surfaces.
Accordingly, a principal object of the invention is to provide a simpler apparatus and method for compacting and heating food particles into edible unified shapes.
Another important object is to provide an apparatus with a reciprocable member that is light and does not require sliding contact with a fixed member.
A further object is to provide apparatus that requires less frequent cleaning and is easier to clean.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description which follows.